


Get Out Alive

by Acadjonne



Series: I'd rather hurt here than be happy somewhere else [1]
Category: IT (2017), IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eddie Kaspbrak Lives, Gen, Georgie Denbrough Lives, I CAN TAG IT NOW, More tags and characters to be added, References to Pet Sematary (1989), References to The Dead Zone (1979), References to The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Stanley Uris Lives, here's another name i can tag now, still on my bullshit so now we got
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-29 07:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20959256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acadjonne/pseuds/Acadjonne
Summary: Somehow, by some miracle, they all survive It.As the Losers Club leaves Derry behind in dust and fog, someone else enters on the far end of town.





	1. The Lonely Survive

**Author's Note:**

> there's more to this. it's completed. i'll post more in about twelve hours. it could either be the whole rest of it, or just the next part. who knows. that's a question for twelve hours from now.

Somehow, by some miracle, they all survive It.

Collectively, the Losers are grateful to still have their lives. It came close a few times; Eddie and Mike being attacked, Bev nearly drowning, Stan _barely_ missing being skewered by It while pushing Richie and Eddie out of the way. In the end, though, they beat It, they come out on top. After bringing It down to size, the Losers take Pennywise’s heart in hand and crush the thing to dust.

More injuries are to be had while escaping It’s lair before the whole thing crumbles down and brings Neibolt with it. Bill’s hand is stepped on a few times, Richie gets a rock to the face and nearly loses his glasses along with it. Mike, bringing up the rear, is still on the front porch when the Neibolt house begins to shudder and implode, the force nearly pulling him in. The seven of them, feeling simultaneously as small and scared as they were twenty seven years ago and yet also brave and big and  _ new _ , gather around in a group hug which is more awkward then it ever was as kids. It’s an unspoken agreement to go to the Barrens next, and one by one, they jump from the top of the quarry and into the murky waters below. It's just like when they were kids. Bev first, Bill, Mike, Richie, Ben, Stan, and Eddie last. It feels like being reborn as they all hit the water.

They stay in the water long enough to start pruning, and as a group, collectively march back to the inn to rest and gather their things. All of them are eager to leave Derry, even now that the danger is dead and gone, but they’re also hesitant to leave each other’s presence again. They discuss at length where they’re all going to go from here. Bill still owes the production of  _ The Attic Room _ a script for the ending. Stan’s wife is tentatively waiting for him to return so they can go on their trip. Bev and Eddie both need to get started on divorce proceedings from their respective spouses. Ben’s got to finalize details of his new project before they can break ground, though he says his representative likely has it covered for now. Richie has already cancelled his upcoming interviews and comedy club shows, and is steadfastly ignoring his agent. Mike is the only one who doesn’t really care about where he goes; at this point, anywhere that isn’t Derry is an improvement.

In the end, they decide that Eddie’s situation is the one which will take priority. Richie is ready to follow him to New York before Eddie even asks, and Ben and Bill do concede that they can do their remaining work from practically anywhere. Bev will get her lawyer to serve her husband the divorce papers; she’s willing to go no-contest if she has to. She doesn’t care, she just wants out. But Eddie, who’s wife is overbearing and babies him and looks and acts almost entirely too uncannily like his mother, is going to need their help, and the Losers are more than ready to deal with her. If they can deal with _It_, they can deal with Myra Kaspbrak.

With a plan finalized, they begin to drop off to bed, one by one. Bev and Ben aren’t subtle, and don’t try to be, as they go up the stairs hand in hand. Stan is next, wanting privacy while he calls his wife, then Bill and Eddie and Mike all follow. Richie goes to bed last, though not before the day hits him and he has a good cry. He’d likely be embarrassed if he weren’t in his room alone. Sitting on his own, though, he allows himself to think that maybe he needed it.

The Losers gather quickly the next morning, all of them packed and ready to leave at precisely the same time. They pile into two cars, and set off seconds apart, leaving Derry in the dust. Richie, Eddie, Bill, and Stan in one vehicle, Ben, Beverly, and Mike in the other. Not a one of them looks back.

As the Losers Club leaves Derry behind in dust and fog, someone else enters on the far end of town.


	2. Keep an eye on the chamber door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the screaming that alerts the nurses near the front of the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're adding other king characters to the mix! because i'm a self-indulgent, self-referential piece of shit!

It’s the screaming that alerts the nurses near the front of the hospital.

They don’t hear it clearly first, just echoes of a high, panicked voice, but it sounds far off and unintelligible. A few minutes later, they’re able to understand what the screaming is.

“Billy!” A voice calls, and it sounds like a child. It seems to grow fainter as it approaches. “Billy!”

One nurse, Eileen, rushes out the doors. She’s always had a soft spot for children, especially little boys. None of the other nurses understand why she doesn’t work pediatrics, but Eileen always says she wouldn’t be able to take it.

Eileen is quick to find the source of the screaming, and as she suspected, it is a little boy. He can’t be much older than six or seven, in jeans and a yellow rain slicker. He’s holding onto his right arm tightly, blood flowing through his fingers. The sleeve of his rain slicker is torn just above the elbow, presumably gone along with his lower arm. He approaches the hospital doors slowly, crying heavily and calling out.

“Oh dear,” Eileen says to herself, and steps towards the boy. She’s careful not to move to abruptly, so as not to startle him, and while she does hold her hands out, doesn’t immediately touch him in case he spooks. “Sweetie, come with me, okay? We’ll get you some help.” The boy doesn’t object, just nods. As Eileen gets him past the doors, she can see how pale he is. Clearly he’s suffered a lot of blood loss getting here. One of the other nurses, Connover, is already rushing off to get a doctor, while Eileen leads the boy gently towards emergency. “What’s your name, sweetie? Can you tell me your name?”

The boy shakes his head weakly, and stumbles. Nurse MacGowan rushes in with a stretcher, and she and Eileen get the boy onto it. “Billy!” He calls again, and lets go of his arm to reach up to the ceiling. Eileen clamps both hands onto what’s left of his elbow, trying to staunch the bleeding as much as she can. MacGowan takes over with a towel as they both push the stretcher towards emergency. “Billy!”

“Is that your name, sweetie? Are you Billy? What’s your last name, can you tell me?” Eileen asks, but the boy doesn’t respond other than to keep calling out the name. A doctor meets Eileen and MacGowan in emergency, moving Eileen quickly out of the way to push the boy towards the OR. Both nurses follow.

“Any information you can give me?” The doctor asks. Eileen shakes her head. “Name, age, anything?”

“All he’s been saying is ‘Billy,’ we’re assuming that’s his name for now. He won’t say anything else. Looks like an accidental amputation but I haven’t had a chance to look closely. Lots of blood loss but we don’t know his type.” The doctor nods, and they move into the outer area of the OR. 

“Thank you, Creed, MacGowan. We’ll take it from here.”


	3. I'm better now than before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s close for a while, but Billy Doe pulls through his surgery, and they get him on blood transfusions as soon as they get his blood type figured out.
> 
> The nurses talk, of course. One of the OR nurses tells her sister, in the maternity ward, about it. They had to cut off the boy’s yellow rain slicker and grey sweatshirt, though they’d been torn nearly cleanly at the right elbow, almost like they’d been cut. What was left of his arms was covered in marks, as if he’d been bitten, but no one could decide what kind of animal had enough teeth and ate fast enough to cause that amount of damage, but still leave time for Billy Doe to escape and find help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is just a dump of all the "chapters" at this point, bear with me
> 
> yes, i am a piece of shit who references _even more king_

It’s close for a while, but Billy Doe pulls through his surgery, and they get him on blood transfusions as soon as they get his blood type figured out.

The nurses talk, of course. One of the OR nurses tells her sister, in the maternity ward, about it. They had to cut off the boy’s yellow rain slicker and grey sweatshirt, though they’d been torn nearly cleanly at the right elbow, almost like they’d been cut. What was left of his arms was covered in marks, as if he’d been bitten, but no one could decide what kind of animal had enough teeth and ate fast enough to cause that amount of damage, but still leave time for Billy Doe to escape and find help.

Because of how much blood he lost, and how young he is, Billy Doe is kept under medically induced coma in PICU for seven days. During that time, he undergoes several blood transfusions, and the nurses constantly check up on him, to make sure he’s doing alright. Because of the bite marks, the OR doctors needed to remove a bit more of what remained of his arm, because what skin was left wouldn’t be enough to close up. It makes him look even smaller, to see what’s left of his arm, and how it’s more or less entirely covered in bandages. 

He wakes up on the seventh day, and the nurse who’s there with him can tell he’s afraid. She keeps him calm, and makes she he doesn’t try to talk. Once she’s sure he’s going to stay awake and that he’s able to breathe on his own, she walks him gently through the removal of his endotracheal tube. He’s clearly uncomfortable about the situation, but doesn’t make a sound, and doesn’t cry, though his eyes shine. The nurse promises him some jello as soon as the doctor says he can have some.

Once he’s had the tube removed, his first nurse leaves for a moment, and an older nurse comes in, following a young doctor. They introduce themselves to the boy as Nurse Carol and Dr. Dufresne. Nurse Carol is an older woman, only a head taller than the little boy, and with a head full of white hair. She's very kind, with an easy smile on her face, and has frequently been likened to a grandmother. Dr. Dufresne, on the other hand, is tall and solid. He has short dark hair and serious features.

Dr. Dufresne stands at the foot of the boy’s bed, looking over a chart, before turning to face him. He tries for a small smile, which mostly makes his expression look pulled. Nurse Carol, on the other hand, sits in the chair by the boy’s bed, and offers her hand. He doesn't take it.

“So, son, how are you feeling?” Dr. Dufresne asks. The boy shrugs lightly. “Are you in any pain?” He asks. This time, he gets an answer.

“My arm hurts,” the boy says, and he looks down at what’s left of it. He doesn't ask where it is. 

“Are you tired, darling?” Nurse Carol asks. The boy nods lightly. “We just have a few questions, and then we’ll let you take a nap, okay?”

“What’s your name?” Dr. Dufresne asks. “First and last, please.”

“Georgie Elmer Denbrough,” the boy says, with an ease on “Georgie,” and a sort of awkward familiarity with “Elmer Denbrough.” Dr. Dufresne, who has some kind of pad under his arm, pulls it out and starts to tap away on it. 

“Georgie, how old are you?”

Georgie begins to count fingers, then stops when he realizes he’s only got one hand to count on. His brow furrows, and he puts his hand down. “Seven,” he says, after a tense moment. “I just turned seven, three weeks ago.”

“Three weeks ago, you said. So your birthday is August twenty first?” Dr. Dufresne asks. Georgie shakes his head. 

“No, my birthday is September eighteenth.”

Dr. Dufresne catches the look Nurse Carol sends him from the corner of his eye. “What year were you born, Georgie?”

“Nineteen eighty one.”

“And what is today’s date, can you tell me? And the year too.”

Georgie thinks for a moment. “October twelfth, nineteen eighty eight.”

Dr. Dufresne thinks he may need to sit down.


	4. Never given in to madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after he wakes up, Georgie is moved from PICU to the main pediatric unit. His first visitor is Eileen Creed, in her civvies and with a small sunflower in a vase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hng nurse carol was supposed to play a bigger role but i'm currently reading pet sematary so. oops..?

Further questioning doesn’t leave much more information to be uncovered about Georgie. He knows  _ something _ bit his arm off, and that it happened on the corner of Witcham and Jackson. Georgie’s parents are Zach and Sharon, and the “Billy,” he’d been calling out for when he arrived was his brother. 

No matter how many times they ask, Georgie refuses to say what it was that bit his arm off. His answers vary between not knowing, and simply calling the beast  _ it _ .

Nurse Carol tries to talk to him more, but he can’t answer much, and she finds herself weary of his presence. Something lingers in the back of her mind when she’s near him, like a long-forgotten secret waiting to be uncovered. She refuses to go digging. 

(At night, alone in her bed in a studio apartment a few blocks from the hospital, Nurse Carol dreams of missing posters and stuttering, crying boys, and a woman who used to teach piano lessons but now only stares vacantly at the boxes of cheerios on the grocery store shelves.  _ George Elmer Denbrough _ , the posters read, and then they turn into obituaries and funeral programs.)

The day after he wakes up, Georgie is moved from PICU to the main pediatric unit. His first visitor is Eileen Creed, in her civvies and with a small sunflower in a vase.

“Do you remember me,” she asks, and Georgie shrugs. “I didn’t think you would.”

“Did you help me?” Georgie asks, and she nods. “You brought me to the doctor.”

“My name is Eileen. It’s nice to meet you properly.” Eileen says, and she puts her hand conspicuously on the wheeled bedside table. Georgie reaches for it a bit clumsily, and places his on top.

“I’m Georgie. Can I call you Ellie, miss?”

Eileen almost flinches for a moment, but doesn’t. She takes a deep breath, and widens her smile. “I haven’t heard that nickname in a long time, but I suppose you can, Georgie. I suppose you can.”

There’s something about the way young children never seem to blink that almost makes you want to believe they have some kind of sixth sense, and Georgie is no different. Despite his smile and his generally content demeanor, shining through even despite the situation, it feels almost like he’s studying Eileen, trying to suss something out. After a moment, he seems to settle. “Do you have a sister, miss Ellie?”

Eileen shakes her head, tells him no. She asks him the same question in return, and Georgie also shakes his head. “No, but I have a brother. His name’s Billy.” That shining glint comes to Georgie’s eye again, so Eileen is quick to ask him about his brother as a distraction.

“Billy’s my big brother. He’s twelve, but he always plays with me when I ask.” With further prompting, Eileen can also get Georgie to talk about Billy’s friends. “He has three best friends. Stanley, Eddie, and Richie. Stanley’s my favourite, he always shows me cool bird feathers and tells me stuff about them. Richie’s funny but he uses grown-up words a lot when he’s not supposed to. Eddie just worries about everything.”

Now, Eileen Creed is not stupid. She knows from Nurse Carol that Georgie thought it was nineteen eighty eight when he woke up, which would make him not much older than her, if he had been right. Clearly a seven year old can’t have been born all that time ago. But Eileen was also the nurse who stitched up the face of a man named Eddie the day before Georgie showed up screaming, and she remembers a Stan being mentioned by the woman accompanying Eddie. In fact, she thinks there might have been six names on Eddie’s paperwork, all listed as emergency contacts. She remembers thinking that he was the only person she’d ever seen with that many emergency contacts. He’d be about the right age too, if Georgie’s telling the truth; if he was born in nineteen seventy six, he’d have been twelve like Georgie says Billy was in nineteen eighty eight. It’s a longshot, and Eileen considers that it’s a crazy chance to take, but decides to try anyway. It’s not like the hospital has been able to get into contact with a Zach or a Sharon Denbrough, or  _ anyone  _ named Denbrough, for that matter. There isn’t anyone else but Georgie with that name in Derry.

“This Eddie, do you know his last name, Georgie?” Eileen asks gently. Georgie’s eyebrows scrunch up in confusion.

“Kaspbrak. Why?”

Eileen forces herself to remain calm and neutral. “I think I’ve met him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuck it have a couple vague shining references too


	5. Never really panicked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It looks like Eddie Kapsbrak might be the same one Georgie knows. He mentioned his brother’s two other friends, Stan and Richie, and I’ve got numbers and addresses for a Stanley Uris and Richard Tozier here.” She reads a bit further down. _Beverly Marsh, Benjamin Hanscom, Michael Hanlon…_ “William Denbrough, I’ve got a cell phone number. It’s gotta be him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is actually two "chapters" combined because i forgot one was like three paragraphs oops

It shouldn’t work as a lead, but it does. Armed with the knowledge that the Eddie Kaspbrak who was stabbed in the left cheek with a switchblade on September sixth could be the same Eddie Kaspbrak who Georgie claims is a friend of his brother Billy, Dr. Dufresne helps Eileen get clearance to find Eddie’s hospital records from the week before. Before long, she’s got his emergency contact form.

“Anything of interest?” Dr. Dufresne asks her. Eileen might be the one finding names and numbers but he’ll be the one making the calls. She nods, eyes glued to the page in front of her.

“It looks like Eddie Kapsbrak might be the same one Georgie knows. He mentioned his brother’s two other friends, Stan and Richie, and I’ve got numbers and addresses for a Stanley Uris and Richard Tozier here.” She reads a bit further down.  _ Beverly Marsh, Benjamin Hanscom, Michael Hanlon… _ “William Denbrough, I’ve got a cell phone number. It’s gotta be him.”

* * *

Bill almost doesn’t realize his phone is going off at first, until Ben asks if he’s going to pick it up. It’s on the other side of the room, where he’d abandoned it after Richie wouldn’t stop texting him about Eddie’s nightmare of a wife. Bill’s glad he stuck around the motel instead of tagging along to  _ that _ affair.

“P-pass it here,” he says, and Ben brings the phone over. He studies the display for only a moment as he swipes the call to answer it, but the few seconds it takes to connect allows him an eternity to wonder what’s going on. After all, Mike’s here with them, and Bill’s got his number saved now. Who in  _ Derry _ would ever be calling him?

“Hello, I’m looking for a William or Billy Denbrough?” A male voice asks. It’s soft and deep, but those are the only things Billy notices about it before he gets suspicious. In the last twenty seven years, only one thing has called him Billy.

“S-s-speaking,” Bill stutters, though he tries to sound harsh. Ben stands nearby, ready, as if he could defend Bill from whatever’s on the other end of the phone singlehandedly. Bill appreciates Ben’s actions, and the relief it brings him.

“Mr. Denbrough, my name is Dr. Dufresne, I work in the pediatric department of the King-Hill Memorial Hospital in Derry, Maine. Do you happen to have a brother?”

Bill freezes.  _ Georgie _ . “I did, b-but he was k-k-killed in-”

“In October of nineteen eighty eight?” Dr. Dufresne cuts him off. Bill swallows thickly. By now, Ben looks as tense as a petrified board. His face is hard.

“How di-di-did you know?” Bill asks. Dr. Dufresne sighs.

“Mr. Denbrough, with all due respect, I’m not sure you’ll be inclined to believe me, but we have a seven year old child with a nearly fully amputated arm in our pediatric ward and he came in screaming for someone named Billy. So far as we can tell, he’s your brother, or at least he claims to be.”

“Georgie’s d-dead,” Bill insists, “how did you get my n-number?”

Although he can’t see him, from the sigh Dr. Dufresne gives, Bill would imagine a middle-aged doctor pushing his glasses onto his forehead to rub at his eyes, or maybe pinch the bridge of his nose. “You’re listed as an emergency contact for an Eddie Kaspbrak, who Georgie insists is a good friend of yours. Mr. Denbrough, I hate to cause you distress or trouble but if you could come by King-Hill in Derry so we can sort this out, it would make both of our lives much easier. The sooner the better.”

Bill isn’t sure, doesn’t want to go. He knows Georgie’s dead, there’s no way he could be gone for twenty eight years and show up alive, not after what Pennywise did to him. But a small part of Bill, that part that remembers his childhood clearly for the first time in his adult life and that is still missing his brother as dearly as he did when he was first reported missing, wants to damn it all and go anyway. “D-Derry, you said. I can be there in a f-f-few days.” Ben’s eyebrows achieve a low orbit. He’s making a cut-throat gesture and moving forward towards Bill like he’s got a mission.

“Use the front entrance and ask for Eileen Creed or Andrew Dufresne. Good day, Mr. Denbrough.”


	6. Stirs of whispers trail and linger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Losers, of course, almost immediately forbid Bill from going back to Derry.

The Losers, of course, almost immediately forbid Bill from going back to Derry.

Ben ratted him out, of course, took Bill’s phone as soon as he’d hung up from his call with Dr. Dufresne and rushed off to tell the others. “Bill wants to go back to Derry,” he’d announced loudly, and all of them began scrambling to speak over one another. They’d all stopped and turned to face him when Bill had entered the room.

“Is it true, Bill?” Bev asks, and Bill nods. He doesn’t think he’s ever been able to lie to her.

“It’s true,” Bill says. He feels a bit ashamed that it’s the truth.

Stan shakes his head, as stiff and sad looking as if he were thirteen again. “No. Not again, Bill. You’re insane!”

“We just got out of that shithole and you wanna go back? For the  _ third time _ ?” Richie asks, and if Bill hadn’t become so sure that it was necessary, it might make him consider backing down.

“Dr. Dufresne said-” Bill starts, and Richie snorts.

“Dufresne? As in Andrew Dufresne? Wasn’t he the guy named after his great uncle who busted out of Shawshank after killing his own wife? And you trust him?”

“B-beep beep, Richie!”

Mike steps forward. “Guys, stop. Richie, take a step back. Bill, do you want to explain the whole thing to us?”

So Bill does. He recounts both sides of the conversation, Dr. Dufresne knowing details Bill hadn’t given him, that he couldn’t have known. About Dr. Dufrense’s claim regarding the child in the pediatric ward, and about his instructions once Bill gets to the hospital. Richie, of course, has something to say about  _ that _ , too.

“Oh, Eileen Creed? She’s  _ totally  _ sane and trustworthy too, her father only went crazy and killed three people while we were dealing with a fucking clown.” Richie snarks. Eddie glares at him.

“Richie, you of all people should know that not everyone ends up like their parents did. Beep beep, asshole,” then Eddie turns to Bill and says, “for the record, I don’t think you should be going back to Derry. At least, not alone.”

This sets off Stan. “You’re saying he  _ should _ go, Eddie?” He sounds angry, but they all know he’s more worried than anything. Aside from Edddie and Richie, Bill and Stan were always the closest, and since reuniting, they’ve picked up as if nothing had happened and no time had passed between them. Stan was also there to help Bill through the loss of Georgie all those years ago. Of course he’s worried, although he doesn’t like showing it.

Eddie says, “of course not! For all we know, it could be a trap, but there’s also a chance that it isn't. Maybe it’s just a case of mistaken identity, who knows? But we all know Bill, and even if we tell him not to, you know that he’s determined to go. If he’s gonna fuck off back to Derry anyway, it’s better he’s got someone with him.”

None of the other Losers are keen to return to Derry, which is to be expected. Only Stan budges on the subject of who goes with Bill; his worry wins out and he agrees to go willingly. The others begin to scramble for reasons why they can’t - or won’t - return to Derry.

Eddie, of course, can’t go, due to the beginning of his divorce proceedings with Myra, and Bev can’t go either, since she’s the one helping Eddie out. Eddie’s even using Bev’s lawyer. Richie would rather stay with Eddie, claiming moral support, but ends up in the running. Similarly, Ben would rather stay with Bev, but can spare a few days. Mike just got out of Derry for the first time in his life, and while he’d rather stay away, doesn’t have any other excuses against it. In the end, they decide to draw straws.

Richie gets the long straw, disqualifying him from the running. He doesn’t quite manage to hide his relief at staying under the joke he makes about keeping Eddie warm during their “_cold, cold nights worrying about Big Bill and Stan the Man_.” That leaves Ben and Mike. Ben ends up with the middle straw, leaving him safe as well. He pats Mike on the back with an apologetic face. “Sorry, man.”

Mike shakes his head. “It’s alright.” Bill must have some kind of look on his face, because Mike shakes his head at him too. “Don’t, Bill. You went back to Derry for me. It’s only fair I do the same for you. When do we leave?”


	7. The beating of your telltale heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill sinks into his chair, and Stan, beside him, brings an arm around his back, squeezing one of Bill’s shoulders. Mike sits nearby, close and open, ready for if Bill needs more comfort. “Do you want us to stay with you?” Mike asks, and Bill shakes his head.
> 
> “N-no. I need to do t-this myself.”

The drive back to Derry isn’t any longer than the one leaving was, but it sure feels like it.

Bill drives for the first two hours or so, then Stan takes the next two and a half hours. Mike finishes the last stretch of the drive, bringing them back to the townhouse they all stayed at just last week. Bill and Stan end up in the same rooms again, side by side; Mike, who no longer has his home above the library to return to, ends up in the room on the other side of Bill’s, which had stood empty before. Not one of them makes any moves to get to the hospital that day.

The second day back in Derry, Bill is a bundle of nerves. It feels like there’s a silent countdown in his head, ticking down to when he’ll either be forced to face the music, or let down in a case of misunderstandings and miscommunication. (Bill doesn’t want to let himself hope that Dr. Dufresne was telling him the complete and honest truth, because that will open a floodgate Bill isn’t ready to deal with.)

Eventually, of course, they leave for the hospital, a band of three that feels like it has the power of seven. King-Hill isn’t far enough from the townhouse to bother taking the car, and the walk gives Bill time to prepare himself. As instructed, they enter through the front doors of the hospital, and Bill asks the receptionist for Dr. Dufresne. She nods knowingly, and leads Bill, Mike, and Stan down a few hallways, into the pediatric wing and some chairs in a family room. “Dr. Dufresne will just be a minute,” she tells them.

Bill sinks into his chair, and Stan, beside him, brings an arm around his back, squeezing one of Bill’s shoulders. Mike sits nearby, close and open, ready for if Bill needs more comfort. “Do you want us to stay with you?” Mike asks, and Bill shakes his head.

“N-no. I need to do t-this myself.”

They sit there together for another few minutes before someone opens the door. It’s a man about their age, very clearly a doctor. “Hello. I’m guessing one of you fellas is Mr. Denbrough?” Bill nods, and stands. “Nice to meet you, sir, I’m Dr. Andrew Dufresne. We spoke on the phone. If you could follow me, please?” Bill sends one last look back to Stan and Mike, nods to them, and follows Dr. Dufresne down more hospital hallways.

The room Dr. Dufresne leads Bill to is clearly an office, though it’s very empty and bland. There isn’t anything hung up on the walls and no nameplate on the door, as if the office isn’t occupied. It does have a desk and a few chairs, of course, which Bill and Dr. Dufresne settle into. After a tense, silent moment, Dr. Dufresne speaks.

“This is a very strange case, Mr. Denbrough, I must say. It seems almost impossible, really, I’m sure you can agree.” Bill quietly nods yet again. Dr. Dufresne continues, “before I let you go see Georgie, I want to check some information over with you. If it lines up, you’re free to see him, but if not, well…”

Bill says, “I understand, Doctor. F-feel free to ask aw-way.”

“What date was Georgie born?” Dr. Dufresne asks. “And the year too, please.”

“September eighteenth, nineteen eighty one. I-it was at the h-hospital in Bangor.” Dr. Dufresne nods.

“Do you have a copy of his birth certificate?” He asks, and Bill shakes his head. As far as Bill’s aware, his parents have it, and he hasn’t spoken with them since he left Derry. “When did you last see Georgie?”

“H-he died on October twelfth, n-nineteen eighty e-eight. He was seven.”

“Can you describe Georgie for me? Height, weight, that sort of thing?”

This, Bill doesn’t feel is as easy to answer. “He’s about f-four feet tall, maybe f-fifty pounds? His hair and eyes are b-brown. He still has a-all his baby teeth. I h-have a picture, if that h-helps?” Dr. Dufresne nods, and Bill pulls out his wallet. He’s had many copies of the same photo in his wallet since he was fourteen, and the one that’s in there now is new. He had it printed after killing It, because his entire wallet had been soaked and wrecked by the sewer water and being tossed around in the lair. He hands it hesitantly over to Dr. Dufresne, whose expression remains neutral as he studies it. He hands it back over without saying anything, and asks Bill a few more questions. His parents’ names, where Georgie went  _ missing _ (and he only says missing, never says  _ died _ or  _ killed _ ), the address of the house they grew up in. He studies his tablet with each answer Bill gives, likely seeing if it matches up with what he presumably already knows.

“Well, Mr. Denbrough, the information all seems to line up. I would, however, like to be sure before we do anything too drastic. Would you mind providing a sample for DNA testing?”

Bill shakes his head, then nods, then shakes his head again. “O-of course, I- how long w-will the results take? To-to come back?”

“It should only take a day, maybe two. Not long at all.” Dr. Dufresne assures him. Bill nods.

“Yes. Yes, of course. Okay.”


	8. Can't stop myself from falling now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next twenty four hours are the longest of Bill Denbrough’s life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, this is the end. enjoy. feel free to leave a comment or something, if you like.

The next twenty four hours are the longest of Bill Denbrough’s life.

He does things in between the test and getting the results back, of course. He and Stan go out for a walk, and end up at the old Kissing Bridge. Bill finds what looks like a fresh carving, the only fresh one visible, of the letters “R + E,” and thinks of Richie and Eddie. He wonders if one of them carved it, but doesn’t know when they’d have had the time. Mike brings them all takeout from a restaurant in Derry- not the Jade of the Orient, of course, not after the fiasco they’d endured there. Mike lets Bill get riproaringly drunk, and he and Stan pour Bill into bed at three am. He wakes on his own, feeling a bit like death but mostly still nervous, at noon.

The call comes in just after three. The DNA is a match. If the child in the King-Hill pediatric ward isn’t Georgie, modern science has a lot of explaining to do. The three adult Losers rush back to the hospital, and a nurse is waiting for them when they arrive. She leads them down the hallways of the hospital to where Georgie awaits them.

Every step Bill takes feels heavier and heavier as Nurse Carol silently leads them. She stops before a door, with a piece of white printer paper taped onto it. In lopsided, shaky bubble-lettering are crayon scribbles that spell out “Georgie.” This is the moment of truth.

“He should be awake,” Nurse Carol says. “Probably bored out of his poor little mind. Colouring can only entertain them so long. Poor dear.” When a tense silence follows, she knocks on the door, and moves out of the way. “I’ll give you some time alone with him.”

Alerted by the knocking, a little voice calls out, “come in!” Bill’s hand shakes as he reaches for the doorknob, but he manages to get it open without help. When he locks eyes with Georgie, alone in a hospital bed, he freezes. He can feel tears welling up in his eyes. “G-Georgie?”

Georgie looks equally as overwhelmed. “Billy?” He asks, and Bill nods. Stan places a hand on Bill’s shoulder, gives him a gentle nudge forward.

When Bill steps closer, he can  _ see _ Georgie’s missing arm. There are still a lot of bandages on it, but it looks like it’s been amputated about halfway between the elbow and shoulder. It hangs limply at Georgie’s side where he’s sitting up. “C-can I hug you, Georgie?” Bill asks, and Georgie nods.

He sits on the edge of the bed and takes his little brother into his arms for the first time in twenty eight years. Georgie begins crying almost right away. Bill feels like he might, too. With both arms around Georgie’s back, Bill hugs him as tightly as he dares. “I missed you,” he admits. Georgie sniffles once in his ear, face pressed into Bill’s shoulder. “H-how-?”

“He gave me back,” Georgie says, and his voice sounds like tears and snot. “You won, and he gave me back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all the chapters are named after lyrics from echoes of you by marianas trench, except the first chapter and the fic itself, which get their titles from lyrics to only the lonely survive, also by marianas trench.

**Author's Note:**

> i literally rewatched quarry scene from chapter one for this and hahaha it only shows bev and bill jumping, hurra, glad i waited until the last possible second to check that over.


End file.
